Wu-Tang wordsmith GZA hits Firehouse 13 On THURSDAY (the 22nd) head to Mardi Gras in Cranston and welcome back hard-rock quartet KANERKO ; Al, Kev, Nick, and Anthony just returned from a goodwill trip to Kosovo where they rocked out for our troops — nice work, guys.

Blooze brothers Local lyricists Dirty Hank and Reason revel in drunken debauchery all over The Monty Brogan EP (Poorly Drawn Recordings), released just last week and currently up for grabs as a free download through multiple sites (check the end of these words for links).

Class acts While Providence clubs and live venues seem to come and go "in this economy" (RIP Club Hell and the 201), two band- and fan-friendly venues are stepping up as viable outlets focused on delivering a wide array of artists and musical styles, from heavy metal to sultry singer/songwriters.

Spin the black circle It was another year and another 20 or so releases from 75orLess, the Warren-based independent label run by Mark MacDougall, which cleaned up in our Best Music Poll, with 75orLess artists voted victorious in nine categories.

Making it good Bluegrass/Americana quartet Three Tall Pines recently released their second album, All That's Left , the follow-up to their 2008 debut, Short While Ago (both available at iTunes and cdbaby.com).

Savor the local flavor We're saluting another dynamic year of real deal Rhody-based rap music — the diverse community of razor-sharp eccentric wordsmiths and young-gun production phenoms worthy of your attention.

Full steam ahead Brown Bird couldn't have chosen a better launching point to Go For It than their latest album, Salt for Salt , as the incredibly talented twosome of David Lamb and partner MorganEve Swain leave the shipyard and coffeehouse behind and set out to make music a full-time career.

Divine party Mayor Taveras sure knows how to party. The capital city's Department of Arts, Culture & Tourism has co-sponsored more than 200 events over the past six months commemorating the 375th anniversary of Roger Williams arriving here and setting up shop in Providence.